What Is and What Could Have Been
by StockersBlahBlah
Summary: The Djinn is back and Dean is in his sights. AU Post-Season 4. Pairings: John/Mary, Dean/OC, Sam/OC.
1. Information

What Is and What Could Have Been.

Summary

**The Djinn is back and Dean is in his sights. AU Post-Season 4. Pairings: John/Mary, Dean/OC, Sam/OC.**

**Plot**

After Dean defeated the Djinn in 'What Is and What Never Should Be' (Season 2) before the Devil's Gate was opened (Also Season 2), the Djinn was freed and set about plotting revenge on Dean Winchester and has finally caught up with him. Author's Note: Set after Season 4 in an Alternate Universe, set along to an ongoing forum on the site.

**Characters (in Order of Appearance)**

Dean Winchester - The older brother of the two Winchester boys, the Djinn's chosen nemesis after previous events. Finds out he's no longer a hunter and is now a mechanic like John.

Djinn - The genie returns to make Dean's wish true, but also a living nightmare.

Jade Carter - Dean's fiancé, she works as a police officer in Lawrence, Kansas.

Sam Winchester - The younger brother of the two Winchester boys, he's a successful lawyer

Jordan Summers - Sam's girlfriend. She works as a shop assistant.

John Winchester - The boys father, is a mechanic at a local garage.

Mary Winchester - The boys mother, is a photographer with her own shop in the town.

**Locations**

Warehouses

Winchester household

Dean & Jade's apartment

Sam and Jordan's household

Garage

Offices

Shops

Cottage


	2. An Old Enemy

Chapter 1 - An Old Enemy

Dean thumped the steering wheel along to the drum beat to Iron Maiden's 'Can I Play With Madness?', grinning to himself and singing the odd word or line he remembered, nodding his head from side to side. As of late Dean and Sam had been staying at Bobby's with their girlfriends, Jade and Jordan. They'd been staying with Bobby since Dean's accident. After Jordan had been exposed to a Vampire and Castiel had healed her as best he could, leaving a finite amount of the Vampire strand in her DNA, leaving her a hybrid - a human with the thirst. Bobby had informed them of a cure in Chicago, so the gang went to check it out.

When they reached the factory on the edge of the city, they found it was haunted by Shadow Demons, who dwell in shadows and kill their pray by squeezing major bodily organs like the heart and lungs. Dean was almost killed then and now he was working his first solo hunt since he'd recovered.

Sam had picked up reports of the disappearance of a couple who'd moved into a cottage on the outskirts of Lawrence, Kansas. Dean was reluctant to take the case, suggesting they wait until Sam, Jade and Jordan returned from their own hunt and taking it on together. Bobby stayed behind in case the others needed his help, meaning Dean had travelled back to his hometown alone.

He reached over and pulled the file Bobby had made and opened it, glancing down at it, and back up at the road. Heather Wilkins and Tony Harman, they'd recently moved into the cottage about a month ago, and had reported strange goings-on; lights flickering, cold weather despite the high temperature of the boiler and noises in the dark. And about a week ago they weren't answering their door, seen in the town, or answering their phones.

Dean frowned and replaced the file on the passenger seat, glancing at the empty seat and swallowing nervously, he reached for the box of ID's and found an F.B.I. badge and slipped it into the inside of his leather jacket.

The CD was changed from Iron Maiden to Metallica and Dean started to bop his head to 'Fuel.'

As Dean saw the driveway to the cottage ahead on the right, he slowed and indicated to pull in, and stopped for the officer standing guard there, who checked his I.D and waved him through. The Impala slowly crunched up the gravel to the cottage; it was simple, two levels (not including an attic), a single-car garage set away from the main garage, creeper plants and ivy was growing over the house, the thatched roof and immaculate garden gave it a real fairy tale illusion. Dean circled the Impala around to face back down the driveway and cut the engine, he sat still for a few seconds staring at the cottage and then got out, going to the trunk, he opened it and grabbed a few devils traps and a knife, he already had a gun in his waistband.

He approached the door and opened the unlocked door, looking around, it seemed the building had been untouched but he could make out the fingerprint dust on light switches and door handles. His jaw clenched and hand gripping the knife, Dean closed the door and began walking around the house.

He checked each room, and after having found nothing worth mentioning to Bobby or Sam, went to the kitchen to see if the water was still running. It seemed that the power was out, he hoped that the water was running. He turned the tap and a dribble came out, and he sighed, turning to the door where he saw something dark move across the doorway fast. He drew the gun and aimed it towards the doorway.

"Who's there?" he asked, standing still, glancing quickly to the door on the other side of the kitchen, he made his way towards it, switching the gun from the main door to the second door. He turned the handle and found it locked. He began to approach the main door again and stared into the hallway beyond.

He paused when he heard the creaking from above him, a muffled whimper, and then tapping down the stairs…then silence…Dean stayed where he was in the kitchen, the bottom of the stairs in full view of him. There was no noise at all, it was driving Dean mad, then there it was! Thumping along the hallway, possibly footsteps coming towards him, or a hand on the wall, louder…and louder…and louder…until eventually it sounded like whatever it was was standing right outside the door, staring back at him.

Dean swallowed and cocked the gun, loaded to the brim with silver bullets, and after Jordan's time with the vampire's, lined with garlic.

Suddenly the presence was gone, Dean felt the pressure lift from his shoulders and then the muffled whimper from upstairs again. He dropped the gun-arm and ran to the stairs, climbing them two-at-a-time, until he reached the top and ran towards the room above the kitchen, as he opened the door he was met with someone he'd seen before, turned away from him. Quick as a flash it turned to face him smiling.

Dread filled Dean's mind as he heard the horrible, dull low voice in his head while the creature stared at him.

"Dean Winchester…we meet again." it said before it pushed Dean against the wall with great force, "Your wish will become your nightmare tonight," he said as Dean fell unconscious.


	3. Waking in a Wonderland

Chapter 2 - Waking in a Wonder-land

Dean awoke groggy and slowly lifted his head to look around the darkened room, he was barely aware of his surroundings and his memory for the moment was non-existent, he let his head drop back onto the soft object he was laying on and fell back unconscious.

He awoke again, this time he was more aware of what was around him, the alarm was blaring in his ear and he winced slightly, feeling like he was hung over, and slammed the off button on the alarm clock. He settled back again and then opened his eyes. His vision was blurry, everything was fuzzy and distorted, like looking at life without glasses, or through water. He closed his eyes again and felt something move beside him, he reached under the pillow he was laying again and tried to find the knife he usually kept there. _It's not Jade…she's with Sam and Jordan…_ Dean thought to himself as his vision cleared. Whoever it was rolled over and draped an arm over his chest, which was when he realised he was naked, and, him being him, she was probably naked as well.

Slowly, Dean turned his head to look at whoever was laying next to him.

"It cant be…" he mumbled.

Jade was laying next to him, still fast asleep, her brown hair curled around her neck and lower half of her face. Dean watched her sleeping and then she opened an eye.

"Morning," she moaned as she rolled over.

"M-morning," Dean said sounding unsure of himself.

"You have a hangover?" Jade asked with a chuckle, pulling the cover back and Dean caught himself before he gawked at her naked body.

"Uh…yeah…um…what happened?" he asked, sitting up and rubbing his face,

"Just a party with some friends, you don't look too well Dean," she said, coming over to him and kissing him on the forehead, "I'll call the garage and tell them to cut you some slack, I'm sure John wont mind too much,"

"Yeah…" Dean said, barely paying attention, trying to work out why he couldn't remember much, "Wait, what?" he added quickly.

"Never mind, get some rest" Jade said as she pulled on her clothes.

"You're not staying?"

"No, I have to work, one of us has to be the chump," she joked.

"Hey!" Dean said, flexing his bicep with that cocky grin.

"Very nice, dear, now you go back to sleep for a while and when I come home I expect my dinner to be on the table," Jade grinned at him.

"…work?" Dean said, his grin fading.

"Yeah they need me at the sheriff's office today," Jade said as she pulled her jacket on, making sure her badge was straight, "I know they gave me the day off but its an emergency," she added as she pulled on her belt and holster, slotting the gun into place.

Dean swallowed. _My girlfriend is a cop…nice _, he thought to himself.

"I'll see you later, Dean" she said, kissing him before she left, disappearing out of the bedroom doorway with a wave.


	4. New Puzzles

Chapter 3 - New Puzzles

Dean got up eventually, he still felt groggy and thought a shower would do him good, so he found the bathroom and climbed inside, he leant against the tiles as the water trickled down his body from the power-shower, he chuckled to himself remembering when just after he and Sam started to look for their missing father years ago, they'd squatted in a house with a power shower within which Dean had pretty much lived.

He sighed as he climbed out, rubbing the back of his head slightly. After he'd dried off he went to the wardrobe and opened it, inside he found plain shirts, dark blue overalls with stains on them, faded jeans and a new leather jacket. He smirked when he saw it, and read the tag that was clipped onto the zipper.

"'Dean, I hope this makes a good birthday present, I remember how much you loved the one dad gave you years ago and thought you deserved a new one, from Sam.'" he read aloud to himself, "Ah wow," he added, taking it off the hanger and looking at it, "Thanks Sammy," he said and then got dressed.

As he walked into the kitchen he opened the refrigerator and grimaced at the food; salads, fruit and low-fat yoghurt, he looked into the pockets on the door and grimaced again, Lite Beer.

"Damnit Jade, what the hell?" he asked.

It suddenly dawned on him; his head had been so groggy he hadn't paid attention to it, Jade has said John…he definitely wasn't at Bobby's now, Jade was a police officer and he worked at a garage and Sam had bought him a leather jacket. What was going on here? He paused before moving again and then left the apartment, going down to find his baby, parked outside on the quiet street.

He climbed into the car and sat still for a second, memories flashing forward in his mind; mom and dad laughing when he was young, Sam's reaction to John's disappearance, then Jessica's death….Jessica…if Mary was alive was Jessica? And why weren't _they_ together instead of Sam and Jordan?

Dean frowned and started the car, while he drove a memory flashed forward; the cottage. Followed closely by another; reading a file on two people, then looking around the house, and then the noises he'd heard while in the kitchen, and finally a distorted memory he couldn't fully make out.

He hit the steering wheel in frustration and cried out, frowning angrily.

He didn't know where he was driving, his mind was elsewhere, but his basic functions registered his surroundings and drove for him. Soon he found himself parked outside his childhood house, where he assumed his parents still lived. He swallowed and slowly got out of the car, staring at the house. The curtains were pulled back, allowing the sunlight to flow through, net curtains were strung up to hide the interior of the house from outsiders. Dean walked across the road and up to the front door and rang the doorbell. No answer. He rang it again, keeping his finger pressed on the button.

"Mornin' Dean!" said a cheery voice, snapping Dean out of his thoughts.

"Morning," Dean said with a smile towards the older man, who wore a blue tartan vest over a white t-shirt and beige pants; the stereotypical old neighbourly man.

"You're folks have gone to work, son," the man said, leaning a hand on the fence.

Dean's mouth twitched down in a frown, mainly at the fact he'd missed seeing his parents in the flesh in years, but partly because of the man's voice…he had that voice that belongs on a golf course in films.

"Thanks" Dean said, walking back to the car. _I don't like this _, Dean said in his head as he sat in the Impala again.

He frowned and restarted the engine, and felt his phone vibrating.

"Hello?" he asked without even glancing at the I.D.

"Hey baby," Jade's voice said.

"Oh hey," Dean said with a smile.

"Are you out of bed?"

"Yeah I'm driving around, clearing my head." Dean said, half lying.

"Okay, just reminding you to pick up your parents anniversary present for tonight," she said.

Dean's face went blank and he swallowed.

"The present? At the, um..?" Dean said.

"The flower shop in town, Dean," Jade said with a weird tone of voice, "Are you sure you're okay? Maybe you should see a doctor…"

"I'll be fine, I really just need some air and some food,"

"You could've had a salad or something before you left."Dean grimaced.

"I'll have it later," he forced himself to say, "Seeya,"

She hung up and frowned, meanwhile, Dean drove off towards the town.


	5. Heaven is a Place on Earth

Chapter 4 - Heaven is a Place on Earth

Dean pressed the brakes hard, skidded the Impala the last 4 feet into the space outside the diner and practically sprinted inside, seating himself quickly at a table in the corner, he grabbed the menu from the tabletop and glanced it over.

"Hi Hun, what can I fetch for ya?" asked a blonde girl, she must've been about 18.

"Hey can I have the…" Dean said, studying the meals on the menu again, "Full English with a side of chips please," he said with a smile.

"And to drink?"

"Do you serve alcohol?"

"Not before 4pm, sorry Hun" she said.

Dean frowned and looked at the drinks listed on the menu.

"Large coke, please,"

"Ok, comin' up!" the waitress announced and pranced away.

Dean looked around at the other patrons in the diner. He frowned and checked his watch, which displayed it was about lunch time but the diner was fairly quiet; at the counter was a man wearing a beret, eating what looked like a grilled cheese sandwich; a couple on the other side of the diner, an old man wearing a worn down trench coat and a long white beard and a bobble hat eating a bacon sandwich in another corner.

He pulled out his phone and began looking through it, at the pictures it held, memories of him and Sam at what appeared to be New Year's, him and Jade on a beach, and other random pictures.

He frowned and rubbed his face; he was forgetting something, something important…it was his parents anniversary today…his head still wasn't working right. He looked up and around again and saw the waitress approaching with his food; he flashed his cocky grin at her and noticed she was wearing too much make up.

"There ya go Hun,"

"Thanks," Dean said as he took the knife and fork from her and began eating. He noticed the knife had writing on it, stamped on the blade near the handle, "Stainless Steel".

Glancing up and around the diner again he noticed the old bearded guy was watching him. He nodded at the man slightly but he just watched Dean. Nervously, Dean swallowed the mouthful of bacon he had and averted his eyes, trying his best to act normal. After about five minutes Dean's plate was almost cleared, he glanced up again and saw the bearded guy still watching him. Dean looked down again quickly and then back up to find the guy standing in front of him.

"Dean Winchester?" he asked with a hoarse voice.

"Yeah?" Dean asked, putting his fork down, but keeping the knife firmly in his grip.

"My name is Veagas, I'm a friend of Castiel's."

Dean swallowed and put the knife down.

"You're not supposed to be here Mister Winchester, something's happened in the real world."

"No fucking shit," Dean snapped.

"Calm down, Dean," said the female of the couple.

Dean looked at her, then around the rest of the diner.

"You're all…?"

"Yes," Veagas said.

"Just what's going…." Dean started and then put a hand to his head as a memory flashed forward in his head; a few years previously in the real world, Sam had told Dean about a Djinn and he'd gone to check it out, only to fall victim to it. Sam had saved him before but now he was hunting on the other side of the country. Then the memory of the cottage flashed into his head, "This has happened before…" he muttered.

Veagas sat down opposite him.

"Yes, but the Djinn is more powerful than it was, it's created something for you to defeat, meaning it wont be as easy as it was before."

"It'll be easier…I know what I have to do…" Dean said, gripping the knife again and picking it up.

"Dean it wont work," said the female again.

"How do I know you're not my imagination?" Dean asked quietly.

"Bobby and Sam know you're missing, Jade's distraught and Jordan's disappeared." Veagas said. "Bobby sent Sam to check on the cottage outside Lawrence but didn't find you, that's when Castiel was contacted by Sam, who contacted us to find you."

"So just tell them where I am!" Dean said angrily, putting the knife down.

"It's not as easy as that," Veagas said, "It was easier to locate your consciousness first."

Dean sat silently.

"What's happened here then? What's this fucking thing created that I've got to defeat?" Dean asked, looking up at the Angels around him.


	6. Phone Call

Chapter 5 - Phone Call

Dean drove the Impala in silence. No weapons. Nothing, not a goddamned thing. The car was as ordinary as Dean was supposed to be. He thumped the steering wheel and heard his phone in his pocket, he pulled it out and read the caller I.D, which was gibberish.

"Hello?" he asked in a puzzled tone.

"…" Static over the receiver for a few seconds and then Bobby's voice, "Dean? Dean is that you?"

The voice was crackling, and cutting in and out, but it was Bobby, unmistakably.

"Bobby?" Dean asked incredulously.

"Dean if you can hear me hang -" the line was cut, and the dial tone issued loudly in Dean's ear.

"SHIT!" he shouted and thumped the dashboard.

He looked through the windscreen silently. Up at the cottage where he'd confronted the Djinn before, it seemed the same as before, single car garage, creepers all over the walls, thatched roof. There was a car parked in front of the house; someone lived there.

The Angel's hadn't been able to tell him much, he was hunting some_thing_. Something dark. It was killing a member of newlywed couples all over the state, and Lawrence was next. Dean had a hunch, this cottage was connected to the whole thing…he just couldn't work out how.

He'd been to the local library and picked up a few notes on the Djinn, and the darker demons he and Sam had fought before.

He heard his phone again and looked at the I.D., expecting gibberish. Instead he saw Jade's name.

"Hey," he said, as relaxed as possible.

"Hey, where are you? We're going to be late!" Jade scolded.

"Late? For what?"

"The party, duh!" she said, "Did you get the present.

_Shit, Dean thought._

"Uh, no, they were _really_ busy, I'll pick it up tomorrow."

"Nonsense, we can pick it up on the way. Now come and get ready, and pick me up." Jade said.

Dean rolled his eyes and rubbed his forehead, looking back up at the house.

"OK, ok, I'm on my way," he said and hung up, started the car and swung back around towards the town.

After a few minutes of driving fast and trying to spot and avoid police cars until he reached the apartment, where he ran up the stairs and into the apartment itself.

"Dean are you ok?" Jade asked as he burst through the front door.

"Yeah, I didn't wanna be late," he said, going through to the bathroom and doing his business, then coming back and changing into a smarter pair of trousers and a cleaner shirt, "How do I look?" he asked with a smirk, holding his arms out and twirling slowly.

Jade giggled.

"Great, and me?" she asked, opening her coat and showing him her dress.

Dean raised his eyebrows, genuinely surprised; he didn't have Jade down for a dress-person…but nothing was normal right now…


End file.
